The Eyes of Intelligence
by Felicity Hartington
Summary: He was once more stnding next to me. He gently pushes a piece of hair out of my face. I'm not sure I can do this, but looking into his eyes assures me...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- I don't own any of this. This is all Christopher Logan. Thanks! **

I'm the top student in my college class. French Architecture, I got a scholarship about a year ago. Never thinking I would do something as big with my life. I wasn't anything special, my hair was a glossy brown, but my eyes were a lackluster hazel, my skin pale and dotted with tiny freckles, the only part of my appearance that I thought was pretty were my lips. They were shaped beautifully and full, and the perfect shade of pink. I never expected to meet a brilliant mind of my professor. Known as Miles, he insisted I call him by his first I did. I laid my head down on my hands my literature class was so boring even though I did at times enjoy Shakespeare's childhood other times, it was quite vexing. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of Professor Jullian carry on about Shakespeare's "beautiful", play, Hamlet.

"Ariadne DeAngelo! A mon conseil de classe vous avez déjà? Parce que je me souviens la dernière fois que vous avez fait la même chose, alors je crois que vous serez rester après la classe aujourd'hui? Est-ce acceptable à vos normes, mon élève?"

"Sorry sir, my apologies. I didn't get that my sleep last night. " I sat straight up my face reddening as my classmates snickered. As the bell rang I went up to Professor's Jullian's desk,

"Comprenez-vous pourquoi je Ariadne devez le faire pour vous chaque fois de nouveau? Vous êtes un de mes meilleurs élèves, vous perdre à l'emprise de la paresse ... ce serait le plus triste jour de ma vie." He said sternly.

"Yes sir, I understand completely. It won't happen again, I promise you that." He smiled firmly, then looked back down at his many papers and stacks of portfolios. I sighed and walked out into the now near empty hall, my fellow classmates had left. My bag banged against my leg, as I walked criskly to my next class my favorite, French Architecture. As I was about to enter the empty classroom, I noticed a strange man standing adjacent to Miles. He was cleanshaven, but a small prickle had become other his slightly peach colored skin. His eyes were bright and warm, but had intelligence inside of them. But deeper into them I saw hurt, hurt and longing for something that wasn't there anymore. Miles was talking to him in English, he rarely talked to him in that tongue.

"I've got someone better…Ariadne." I stepped over to him, he smiled kindly at me. **(This is going to be just a bunch of lines from the movie, sorry.) **"I'd like you to meet Mr. Cobb." He holds out his hand for me to take it. But I study him first, my eyes running up and down his tall thin appearence. I thought of how good he looked in his crumby jacket. I take his hand and shake in warily.

"Pleased to meet you." I smiled cautiously, he was as wary as I was. I myself was stunned by his alertness. A thirty year old man like himself, does not just show up in France with some weird excuse to talk to Miles. How did he know him? Who was he? I was already figuring about a million options. But not one seemed to fit.

"If you have a few moments, Mr. Cobb has a job offer to discuss with you." This sparked my interest,

"A work placement?" I said raising a eyebrow. Cobb smiled slyly,

"Not exactly." He leads me out to the rooftop, the sub is gleaming over the shining city of Paris. I smile at the sight of it once more, I could point out ever square centimeter between the bars of the Eiffel Tower, and of the other tall buildings of the France. I lean against the parapet, then pull out a sandwich. Cobb offers me a piece of paper and a pen, a grid is drawn on it. I bite into the sandwich. Mm, ham and turkey with a twist of mustard. I close my eyes in delight, then quickly snap them open to Cobb who stands impatiently.

"A test." He says, I put my sandwich down then take the paper and pen from him. I still have my food in my mouth when I say,

"Aren't you going to tell me anything?" I ask my mouth full of ham and turkey.

"Before I describe the job, I have to know if you can do it." He says his voice very teating, I feel my heart start to thump with determination. I give him a look, then ask,

"Why?"

"It's not, strictly speaking, legal." I raise my eyebrows, then give him a squinted look. He nods. "You have two minutes to draw a maze that takes me one minute to solve." I look down at the grid with it's tiny blue lines running up and down it. He looks at his silver wrist watch then mutters, "Go." I start to draw a basic maze, _he thinks I'm stupid. Does he not know I'm the top student in my class! _"Stop." I hand it back to him, he looks me square in the eye as he traces the solution with his finger. Then he gives me the pen and grid back. "Again." I smile toughly, then start to draw once more, I'm trying to concentrate when once more he tells me to stop. I hand him back the grid sure this is it, I smile at him sure I've got it. He chuckles then hands it back, my smile is wiped right off my face. This guy is insane, he just solved my best work within a thirty second interval.

"You'll have to-" I yank the grid from his hand and turn it over, to my own surprise I think of circles, and start to draw round symmetrical circles, round, round, round, and round… I feel Cobb's eyes on me, he smiles. Then he takes it away once more. I'm defiant this time, I know it's right. No one can solve that kind of maze within a minute. He nods,

"More like it." He smiles and I follow him through the school to a taxi, as we drive. I ask him about the job, he explains to me that the work they do is very confidential. He tells me about his childhood, but he skips over the whole fact of his marriage and his mysterious wedding ring. I'm still skeptical of him. He acts as if I won't understand, I do understand sorrow. My mother and father died when I was six, I would know what sorrow is.

"Were here." I see we have pulled up to a dusty warehouse, and it looks like it could come crumbling down any minute now. Cobb gets out and starts to walk briskly I quickly catch up with him. My boots clicking against the cracked cement, we go up stairs and enter a room. With windows overlooking once more Paris. Equipment is set up on beat up tables, and two lawn chairs now I noticed in the corner was a man. He was unlike any guy I had ever seen before. He was handsome and tall, he was around Cobb's age. But his skin was a Greek bronze skin color, and his hair was a silky black. His eyes the most beautiful color of black, I was amazed by his beauty. His appearance made me lose my self for a moment.

Cobb and I sit at a outdoor table in the middle of Paris, I think. A market sits next to us, vibrant colored fruit towers, and my mouth waters at the sight at the ripeness. A man on a bike rides past, a mother and her child walk past. The child whines and the mother smiles sweetly. I watch after them wishing I had some childhood memories but I don't. I watch the life surround us and the buildings across the street show hanging plants hanging from the tiny balconies. There is a bakery next to the market, the scent is heavenly. I'm amazed that so much commotion goes on around us, while we sit in silence hardly moving.

"They say we only use a fraction of the true potential of our brains…but they're talking about when _were _awake. While we dream, the mind performs wonders." Cobb says his voice the same calm and firm tone. I look at him with surprise, not knowing much about the human anatomy myself.

"Such as?" I ask, my own mind trying to figure out what meant. I had just had a dream last night about my old Grandfather who had beaten me.

"How do you imagine a building? You consciously create each aspect, puzzling it over in stages… But sometimes, when your imagination _flies-" _

"I'm _discovering _it." I say realizing, the buildings in a dream you never really pay much attention to it. But the mind created it, without even my own self conscious.

"Exactly. Genuine inspiration." He takes the napkin that's by my glass of lemonade, and starts to draw a circle made with two arrows, "In a dream your mind _continuously _does that… It creates a world simultaneously. So well you don't feel your brain doing the creating. That's why we can short-circuit the process."

"How?" I ask, my mind absorbing all the information Cobb is feeding me. I take it on like a test, I want to try to figure it out, but he's making it a little bit more difficult then in some cases, for example I think by my mind creating the architecture in a dream, I never hardly realize that I'm doing it. He's just sliding in a bunch of fancy words, I figure.

"By taking over the creating part." He draws a line straight through the two arrows. "This where you come in. You build the world of the dream. We take the subject into the dream, and let him fill it with his subconscious." Why would I do that? I wonder,

"But are you trying to fool him that the dream is actually real life?" Cobb nods, his sorrowful eyes are gleaming. He's found me, like I'm his prey.

"While were in there, we don't want him to know he's dreaming.

"How could I ever get enough detail to convince him it's…real?" I ask, my had already starting to pound with ideas, but the trick is to create it. How will I do it? Oh, why did I have to be the top student in my class? Why did I have to such a stupid logical mind! Cobb smiles, then gestures around us.

"Our dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize things are strange," I look at him astonished, then start a lecture.

"But all the textures of real life- the stone, the fabric. Cars…people… Your mind can't create this." I look at him skeptically, he just tilts his heads. Then sighs,

"It does. Every time you dream. Let me ask you a question: You never remember the beginning of you dreams, do you? You just turn up in the middle of what's going on."

"I guess…" Still not able to wrap mind around the fact that this guy wants me to create a dream, so detailed the subject can't even know himself it's dream. Most of the time I found out in my sleep it's a dream, you have your normal thoughts and your dreaming thoughts. But my dreams are never detailed, but usually they skip around to weird pictures and scenes. I never know what is real and what is fake.

"So…how did we end up at this restaurant?" He says, his face lifting into a sneaky smile.

"We came here from…" I trail off, and start running my mind for an answer, we came from…we came from the college…no we took a taxi up here to central Paris…no! Ug how did we get here?

"How did we get here? Where are we?" Cobb insists, his impatience starts to make me struggle to remember even worse. I hear a loud sound come from behind him. I look and see a building is starting to collapse.

"Oh my God! We're dreaming!" I exclaim, Cobb nods then the I see the building's rumbling is growing louder.

"Stay calm. We're actually asleep back at the workshop. This is your first lesson on shared dreaming, remember?" I start to look around, anxiety rising in my chest. I see Cobb brace himself for what happens next, the buildings bricks start to fly. The market's fruit flies at me, furniture is destroyed the scene is chaotic. Time slows my hair whips slowly and Cobb moves in a slowed reaction, so his words don't exactly line up with his words. I can't hear him, so I shout over the cracking, and breaking, a plate flies at my head. I duck it.

"If this is just a dream, why are you covering you-" I'm cut off by the massive blast of the buildings, the bricks and metal frame flies at me. I scream and try to save myself, but it's too late.

I wake up suddenly. I look around Arthur's at my side. I see his calm face, and his beautiful black eyes and I stare into them. They calm my heart, my breath becomes slower and he laughs. It's like music to my soul.

"Because it's never just a dream." Cobb answers my question from back in the dream." Arthur stands up and walks over to a table and starts to look over some paper work. "And a face full of glass hurts like hell, doesn't it? While were in it, it's real." Arthur returns back to my side and sits down.

"That's why the military developed a dream sharing-a program where soldiers could strangle, stab, and shoot each other, and then wake up." Arthur says his eyes meet mine and for a second he's silent, I ask more to him then Cobb.

"How did the architects get involved?" Cobb answers,

"Someone had to design their dreams. Let's go another five minutes," He says to Arthur, who nods.

"We were only asleep for five minutes? But we talked for at least a hour…" I say, my heart racing.

"When you dream, your mind functions more quickly, so time seems to pass more slowly."

"Five minutes in the real world, gives you a hour to dream." Arthur says, he looks at me. Once more for the fifth time that day he makes me feel so uncomfortable under those midnight dark eyes. Cobb smiles at me, then says:

"Let's see how much trouble you can cause in five minutes." I give him a smirk, then I close my eyes and dream…

Cobb walks about the crowed streets looking approvingly. His eyes swipe over the café, the market, the bakery, then the table, and the flower shop. "It's good. You've got the café, the layout… You forgot the book shop but pretty much everything else is here." I look at the pedestrians,

"Who are the people?"

"They're projections of my subconscious."

"Yours?" I ask, all along I thought it was my dream, guess not.

"Sure-you are the dreamer, I am the subject. My subconscious populates your world. That's one way we get a subject's thoughts- his mind creates the people, so we literally talk to his subconscious."

"How else do you do it?" Cobb pauses for a second, looking into the distance. Then looks back at me,

"Architecture. Build a bank vault or a jail, something secure, and the subject's mind will fill it with information it's trying protect." I nodded in understanding,

"Then you break in and steal it." I say.

"Exactly." I look at the street, then concentrate on it.

"I love the concrete sense of things," I stamp my boot against the cement, "Real weight, you know? I thought a dream space would be all about visual, but it's the feel of things. Question is what happens when you start to mess with physics…" I stare at the street my mind focusing in on it. My head looking at the angle, the stones engraved in it. I force the dynamics of the road to a upward level, and to my surprise it worked. The buildings on either side of the street stay planted to the ground, cars keep driving up the street and climb up the straight upward climb without any trouble. I look p at the people walking normally as gravity holds it down, I feel Cobb's eyes on me in my excitement. "It's something, isn't it?" I say admiring my own work.

"Yes. It is." He says quietly, I turn and look at him. His face is torn, then we walk up the incline. I notice the subconscious are staring at me, meanly, almost ferociously.

"Why are they looking at me?" I say, feeling quite uncomfortable, at their stares.

"Because you're changing things. My subconscious feels that someone else is creating the world. The more you change things, the quicker they converge on you." The word stops me straight in my tracks, and I look at him suspiciously.

"Converge?"

"They feel the foreign nature of the dreamer, and attack like white blood cells to an infection." My mouth drops, my heart starts to pound,

"Their going to attack us!" I exclaim,

"Just you, actually." He says calmly, like the death of me is nothing. We walk on, then we approach a river. As I approach steps emerge from the flagstone, as I lead Cobb up a small jetty, I concentrate on the pillars and they emerge, and a bridge starts to a telescope, out from the jetty. We step onto it, Cobb looks at me very impressed. "It's beautiful…but if you keep on changing things…" As I cross the bridge, more of Cobb's subconscious start to look at me more furiously. Many of them bump into my solider; I look at them and give them dirty looks right back at them.

"Mind telling your subconscious to take it easy." I say, annoyance rising in my tone. The bridge I created now spans across the Seine. Cobb looks at with wonder and awe, I'm encouraged by the look on his face. I walk on leaving Cobb behind,

"Arched stone, iron pillars, it's…it's…" He pauses for a second, but I ignore him. "I know this bridge. This place is real- You didn't imagine it, you remembered it." I nod,

"I cross it everyday on my way to the college." I say simply.

"Never recreate places from your memory. Always imagine new places." He says urgently.

"You have to draw from what you know." He tenses,

"Use pieces- a street lamp, phone booths, a type of brick, not whole areas." He says, his eyes darting, to the projections, I myself became very nervous that I had done something very wrong.

"Why not?" Panic rising in my chest.

"Because building dreams out of your own memories is the surest way to lose your grip on what's real and what's the dream." He looked me straight in the eyes, his own panic mirroring my own.

"Did that happen you?" I ask, my question striking him, hard. He was off guard, and I didn't mean to say that so rudely, but he had a reason for saying that.

"Look this isn't about me," He reaches for my arm, and turns me to him. I see his eyes are truly hurting.

"Is that why you need me to build your dreams?" A pedestrian grabs my shoulder, I yelp.

"Leave her alone!" Cobb yells, he holds me protectively. But more people surround me, they pull at me, my hair, my face, and even my feet. Then I see a gorgeous woman snap across the bridge, her curly hair waves in the breeze then she runs at me.

"Wake me up, Cobb." I say, he can't there are too many of them. As the woman walks she pulls out a knife.

"Mal, no!" Cobb shouts, and tries to get through the hoards of people, but he can't they block him in.

"Wake me up!" I screech, but then she plunges the blade into my stomach.

I awaken in a cold sweat, once more Arthur is standing next to me. He gently pushes a piece of hair out of my face. I look at him in dear, but his eyes so warm and smart, calm me. I'm not sure I can do this, but his eyes assure me I can…

Listen

Read phonetically

Dictionary - View detailed dictionary

**phrase **

Comprenez-vous

**Translate over 50 languages**

Простите

שמח

mijn vriend

आज मेरा जन्मदिन हैं.

Hjelp!

กาแฟ

Ich bin vierzig Jahre alt

¿Cómo estás?

παραλία

Comment allez-vous ?

มีสีสัน

お元気ですか?

rouge

děti

ओह यार!

أحب كرة القدم

Wie spät ist es?

nazdar!

escargots

Wie heißen Sie?

Wie gehts?

miracoloso

Buongiorno Principessa!

سلحفاة

Vær så snill

Langweilig

Es ist sehr interessant!

さようなら

sư tử

Je parle un petit peu français.

La voiture

Pardon ?

Wie bitte?

बन्दर

χρησμός

Je ne sais pas !

hoje está ensolarado

국수

haydi gidelim

Listen

Read phonetically

Dictionary - View detailed dictionary

**noun **

raison

**adverb **

pourquoi

pourquoi ça

**interjection **

tiens

et bien

**Translate over 50 languages**

Простите

שמח

mijn vriend

आज मेरा जन्मदिन हैं.

Hjelp!

กาแฟ

Ich bin vierzig Jahre alt

¿Cómo estás?

παραλία

Comment allez-vous ?

มีสีสัน

お元気ですか?

rouge

děti

ओह यार!

أحب كرة القدم

Wie spät ist es?

nazdar!

escargots

Wie heißen Sie?

Wie gehts?

miracoloso

Buongiorno Principessa!

سلحفاة

Vær så snill

Langweilig

Es ist sehr interessant!

さようなら

sư tử

Je parle un petit peu français.

La voiture

Pardon ?

Wie bitte?

बन्दर

χρησμός

Je ne sais pas !

hoje está ensolarado

국수

haydi gidelim


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: hey guys at the bottom of my last chapter it says all that stuff about online dictionary just ignore it. Thanks! –F.H **

I took her hand then smiled,

"It's okay." I say, she seems still so distraught, I felt my heart beat for her. For she was such a poor girl, coming into this. Dominic was an idiot for sending her into that crap, without much knowledge of what would happen.

"Why could I wake?" She says, her breath coming in hot distracted puffs.

"The only way to wake from inside a dream is to die." I say calmly, she begins to calm a little, but her eyes still are wide with fear, her pale skin paler then usual. Dominic jolts awake next to Ariadne, and begins to breathe deeply. Then pulls his tube out.

"She'll need a totem." He says quite quickly.

"What?" Ariadne says quickly, her closed eyes fluttering open once more quickly. I pat her on the back,

"Some kind of personal icon. A small object you can always have with you, and that no one else knows." I explain, she looks at me with jerky eyes, then they become angered and stormy, she twists to look at Dominic who is getting up, she stares after him furiously. Then she grits her teeth, I him watch head to the bathroom. I know why he always needs to use it after he's asleep. Because she's always there…

"That's some subconscious you've got there, Cobb! She's a real charmer!" She rolls her eyes angrily, and then gets to her feet. I know who she's talking about, Mal… I look at her with an amused smile even though, it really is nothing to smile about, what happened to Mal, is just sad and crazy.

"Sounds like you've met Mrs. Cobb."

"She's his wife?" The anger in her eyes settles to a degree, and she turns back to me. I nod, and then pull out Ariadne's tubes, I stand back up. She asks me once more about the totem. "Like a coin?" I shake my head,

"Too common. You need something that has a weight that only you know." Ariadne seems to understand, then nods silently.

"What's yours?" She asks her brown eyes boring into me. I can't face them; I pull out my totem, a small red die.

"A loaded die," She reaches for it, but it's already enough to let her see it, but touch I can't let that happen. I smile as I pull it out of her reach, she looks at me strangely. "I can't let you handle it. That's the point. So no one can know the weight or balance of it." She stares me in the eyes,

"Why?"

"So when you examine your totem, you know, beyond a doubt, that you're not in someone else's dream." She gets a thoughtful expression on her face, but then it changes to a look of disgust.

"That's not an issue for me." I feel the feeling of irritation in me.

"Why not?"

"Arthur, maybe you can see what's going on, maybe you don't want to. But Cobb's got problems he's tried to bury down there. I'm not going to open my mind to someone like that!" She says with a hint of sarcasm, and then she walks quickly out the door. I look after her, something in her words. It makes me think twice about myself… Maybe I don't want to see what's going on…

"She'll be back." Dominic says coming out of the bathroom, I stare at him skeptically. Then walk to my desk, mounds of paper work lay on my desk. I can't get her off my head…she's only been gone for two minutes and already, I can't get her off my mind.

"I've never seen anyone pick it up so fast. And one reality won't be enough for her now. When she comes back, get her building mazes." He says, I look once more doubtfully at him.

"Where will you be?" I ask, my mind just guessing what he will say. Eames.

"I've got to talk to Eames." I smile,

"Eames, but he's in Mombasa. Cobol's backyard." I say regarding his enemy.

"Necessary risk."

"There are plenty of thieves."

"We don't just need a thief. We need a forger." He says, I roll my eyes. He walks out the building. I get up and grab my suitcase; I needed to get some supplies. As I settle over the cement with a brisk quick walk, I pop my ipod's earplug in, and start off towards the city's market. I pick up a few plastic boards, then a few hundred pens, fifty bottles, and on Dominic's request, a six pack of rum straight from the Caribbean. I pay the cashier twenty euros for the whole load of it. Then start back to my own home, I grab the picture of Dontora. Then gently place it in my suitcase, I had a feeling I'd be spending more time at the workshop rather then at home. I run to my brother's house, who greets me with the same dumb Italian greeting, "My brother!" Were half Italian, our mother is African. I sit down next to him on the couch and tell him about Ariadne, he smiles and nudges me.

"My little brother has a tiny crush on a girl, eh?" He says, I blush slightly.

"No, Repardulo! I do not have a crush on her, I _like_ her." He smiles then asks about Dominic. I tell him he has seen better days, because he has, He misses his kids like crazy; he has no idea who he is anymore. He just knows he has to keep running from the law, and he's not allowed to see them for a very long time… I feel bad for the guy, but at least he has kids. I mean I'm a thirty-five year old man without a wife, girlfriend, kids, nothing! I can actually remember the first time I saw Dominic…

It was late December back two years ago, I couldn't assert that I had wanted to meet the famous Dominic Cobb, but I had to. His father, Miles and I had met and he told me Dominic was coming into the states, I told him I would take him under my wing. I hadn't been to America for a while so it would be interesting to see what had changed. As I watched at the airport that day I hoped that the man who was going to be my partner, was a nice kind man, turns out he was. Dominic had commented on my art piece that is up in New York City's Natural Art Museum. I thanked him; I asked him if he had any family. He said he had had a wife…and two beautiful children, James and Phillipa. I told him about Dontora, he gave me his sorrows. But the most interesting fact about him was he was quite bold and rooted for having lost his wife. But sorrow lurked in his eyes, I could tell of it. We had been friends ever since…

"So tell me little brother, why have you come?" Repardulo asked, interrupting me of my reverie.

"I haven't visited you and Nina for awhile so I figured I'd stop by and say hello." I said, he gave me a knowing smile, and got up and called for Nina, his beautiful wife. She came in dressed in a cocktail dress and her lips outlined with bright cherry lip stick. I kissed her hand, she giggled, and I joked to her. She watched me with admiring eyes; Repardulo looked jealously looked at me. I had always gotten the women before him.

"So nice to see you, Nina, I have missed those beautiful blue eyes." She giggled, and then said.

"Sei sempre stato l'incantatore, Arthur." She laughed, I smiled sweetly at her. Then said, "Well I must be on my way, it's getting late and Dominic wants me back probably, I'm expecting someone." Repardulo took this as the perfect opportunity to make fun of me,

"This pretty little girl, eh? Ah, little brother love has struck you." He smiled; I rolled my eyes then left. I drove back to the workshop, and unlocked the door; I walked over to my latest mechanism, my newest one. Dominic always made fun of my creations, saying they would never work and this and that. But as I worked on it, my mind began to stray…Ariadne was beautiful when she smiled, even though I had never seen her smile. I already knew it was like looking into the center of happiness. I had dreamed about a woman as beautiful as her. She had finally come, and no pens could draw her out. She was so unique…something I had never felt since Dontora. I tried to ignore Repardulo's laughing voice in my head. _'You love her! You love her! You love her!'_ I stamped my foot, ignoring the thoughts of her. But that just made it worse…her gorgeous complexion was pale with a bit of rose and tilt of pink mixed in, her beauty was very complex. Almost like the mind, you had to go deep if you wanted to truly find it. Her intelligent eyes were bright and full of innocence, having no idea what could truly happen. She had never tasted full Inception. But she would be back I had to believe she would be…or I don't think I could start to like this job any more. Then a sound spooked me and I twirled around and saw her… Ariadne had coughed awkwardly.

"He said you'd be back." I said a bit of a smile playing on my lips, I couldn't help it. I was happy to see her. But her next words doused my hopes…

"I tried not to come…"

"But there's nothing quite like it." I gave her a grin, and she gave a small smile back.

"No paper, no pens… Nothing between you and raw, direct creation." She said, she understood exactly what I saw in it, the first time I tried shared dreaming.

"Shall we take a look at paradoxical architecture?" I ask her, smiling holding up my mechanism. She raises an eyebrow at it, I shrug then smile. We sit down in the lawn chairs hooking our tubes before falling asleep. Then we go into Ariadne's third lesson on shared dreaming.

I find her in the building I dreamed up, an office complex made of large glass windows. Subconscious bustle past us, Ariadne stays close to me, scared of them. Her eyes widen as one smiles at me kindly, I wink at her. She stays close behind me, as we walk up a winding staircase I start to explain her job. "You're going to have to master a few tricks if you want to build three complete dream levels." A woman drops a few papers in front of us as we make our way up them, I step around her. She glares at Ariadne fiercely. Ariadne side steps to behind me. I laugh, and then continue on.

"What sort of tricks?" She asks, her eye brow pointing a little bit. I lead her up the next flight of stairs, and explain more lightly.

"In a dream you can cheat architecture into impossible shapes. That let's you create closed loops, like the Penrose Staircase. The infinite staircase." Ariadne freezes, she realizes we are in the exact same spot we started, where the woman had been cleaning up her papers. She puzzles at the impossible construction of the staircase. "See…" I say, her eyes sweep over the stairs and then she walks on, I realize what she's doing. I stop her gently, were at the highest point of the staircase. Down below us looks like were on the bottom stair, but were not. She widens her eyes in understanding, "Paradox. A closed loop like this helps you disguise the boundaries of the dream you've created."

"How big do the levels have to be?" She asks, I look up at her from the corner of my eye, still staring down below at the people bustling around. Some walking in from a rainy city scene and some scuttling by with bundles of paper.

"Anything from the floor of a building, to an entire city. But it has to be complicated enough for us to hide from the projections." She nods in understanding,

"A maze." She says more like a statement then a question.

"And the better the maze-" She cuts me off,

"The longer we have before the projections catch us." She says her voice already off. She's drawling a picture in her mind of what will be, and what she is designing. I know the look; it was the same look I saw on Dontora's face for six years… She sees my face crushed with sorrow, and quickly changes the subject.

"My projections seem polite enough." She gestures to the several people looking at me. I smile kindly,

"You wait, they'll turn ugly. No one else likes to see someone else messing around in their mind." She's silent for a minute, as she stairs at the office walls as we make our way down the stairs.

"Cobb, can't build anymore…can he?" She asks, I've been waiting for this question for some time.

"I don't know if he can't, but he won't. He thinks it's safer if he doesn't know the layouts." I say, she nods. She's starting to get the idea why, she doesn't understand though yet, what Dominic has to put up with… She doesn't know his aching pain, for his children.

"Why?" She asks, even though I know she already knows the answer.

"He won't tell me. I think its Mal. I think she's getting stronger." Ariadne looks as me, her expression puzzled.

"His ex-wife?" I chuckle,

"She's not his ex…"

"They're still together?" Her eyes show something other then realization, but something of question and ambivalence.

"No. No, she's dead, Ariadne. What you see in there is just his projection of her." I say to her, gently. She looks at me her eyes were tearing at the thought and sorrow, Dominic must have felt. I fall in love right there, despite the mood of the atmosphere, those beautiful meaningful dark brown eyes mean everything to me.

"What was she like in real life?" Ariadne asks, her gorgeous face tilting to a sorrowful altitude. I answer quietly and solemnly,

"She was quite lovely." I say, but it's not only the answer to Ariadne's question but her own self…


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys thanks for all the reviews I got three for my two chapters so that's cool! As you may have noticed my disclaimer is wrong too, I'm going to fix that now, I don't own Inception all this belongs to Christopher Nolan **** Lucky guy, making millions for the movie… Anyway thanks and without further ado, Ariadne. –F.H **

Arthur was staring at me so intently, his gaze blending into mine. Passion filled my own eyes, the tears that fell for Cobb were giant droplets that fell to the ground, a head of one of the projections turned and then ran violently at Arthur. I screamed out, but it was too late the men and women went at Arthur. He smiled kindly, "See you back at the workshop." He mouthed, and then allowed himself to be swept by the projections. I screamed his name, my fear pulsing through my veins. Then I fell to the ground, my tears starting to seep through the, see through floor. The walls of the glass complex began to crumble, I tried killing myself to make it go faster, but it wouldn't speed the incoming death that was coming at me from the ceiling, my heart pulsing as a single glass spear came down at me. I waited, hoping it would end soon. Then it pierced my stomach, sliding right through my abdomen, I screamed in pain as my blood pooled on the floor. I let the day fade away and then blackness.

I shoot straight up in the lawn chair; Arthur once more is working on his mechanism. "Arthur…" I breathe he turns, and then gives a small smile. He looks a little edgy. I pull out my tubes then get up quickly. "So…where is Cobb?"

"Dominic's at a job in Africa he'll be back in a few days. Well should be anyway… If he's not caught." Arthur muttered.

"What!" I exclaimed.

"It's all very complicated, I'd prefer you sit down for this. It might speed up the process. Ariadne, tell me, do you know what your name means?"

"My name? Yeah Ariadne, she was part of a Greek legend, she could navigate through the Labyrinth, the impossible maze with her golden string. It's just a stupid Greek legend though. Why?"

"Little bit of a coincidence, wouldn't you say? You see Ariadne, Dominic is a world class thief known as today. He's been trying to get back to the states since he came here, but there's been no such luck. Dominic travels the world looking for a way to get back, and he found it. This man you see offered Dominic a very large sum of money to go to France and create the idea of shared dreaming. Dominic and I worked for nights on a machine that had already been invented. Finally we had created our own tube device," He held up the tube device, "Then we fell asleep and dreamed, we started to deliver a plan like no other. We needed information from a man by the name of Saito, and like Dominic told you we build a safe and have the subject put the information their trying to protect, inside of it. We used that and almost broke into Saito's lock but it didn't work. Mal shot my leg, and well Dominic killed me in order for me not to experience the extreme pain. But Ariadne, when you start inception, you are always going to have pain, it will happen. I promise you that." He got up from his seat next to me, and then walked over to the ringing phone. He ran to it, he brought it to his ear. Then answered,

"Bonjour? Oh yes, I understand." Arthur paused, "Yes she's here." His eyes moved to mine. "So you'll be here tonight?" He paused again, "Alright then, tonight." Arthur hung up, I guessed it was Cobb. His eyes were full of anger and rage. "God damn him! Why the f*** did he have to do that!" He yelled. He kicked over a stool and then grabbed his coat and briskly walked out of the workshop. I decided to let him go, even though I wanted to run after him.

I started to build a maze, with one of the plastic board that was lying on Arthur's desk. I heard him come in later, but he didn't even say hello, he walked over and grabbed a pen then walked down a staircase. I watched him then turned back to the maze, which was forming brilliantly into a city. I had already begun to picture it, tall skyscrapers, rain, and an old dusty basement below a car parking lot. I continued to build the physics and then started on the diameter of the buildings, how tall? I had lost track of time, and when I looked up next, night had fallen on the beautiful day. The city lights were glimmering below the workshop. I walk over to where Arthur was earlier a wooden block lays there. I get the idea of what he had in mind. I start to saw down on the block, and work quickly. I start to form a small wooden chess symbol. I heard someone cough, I went into the main part of the workshop, box after box were stacked. Cobb's unpacking them. I smile slightly,

"You're back." Cobb looks up with a startled expression, then nods. "Are you going under by yourself?" I ask my expression turning into question.

"I just-I need to test some things. I didn't realize anyone was here."

"Just working on my totem." I hold out the small chess piece, he looks at it with interest. Then he reaches for it,

"Let me see-" I grab it out of his reach, I smile, and Cobb does too, then he nods once more.

"You're learning."

"It's an elegant solution to keeping track of reality. Your invention?"

"No. Mal's." He pulls out his own spinning top, and then twirls it around his hand. "This one was hers. She'd spin it in a dream and it would never topple. Just spin and spin…" He glanced up at me, his eyes more then sorrowful. I looked down and kicked my boot against the floor,

"Arthur told me she died."

"She did." He changed the subject quickly, "How are the mazes coming?" I gesture towards the difficult puzzling mazes; each one was fairly built with a model of some sort. The last level I figured should be a hospital where Fisher could place his father's information.

"Good. Each level relates to the part of the subject's subconscious we're trying to access. I'm making the bottom level a hospital, so that Fisher will bring his father there-" Cobb cut me off, which annoyed me.

"Don't tell me. Remember, you only want the dreamer to know the layout." I began to feel a swarm of questions coming on.

"Why's that so important?"

"In case one of us brings in part of our subconscious. You wouldn't want any projections knowing the layout." I began to feel the same feeling of anger in my blood,

"In case _you _bring Mal in." He's silent and then rubs his forehead, I roll my eyes. "You won't build yourself because if you know, then she knows it. And she'd sabotage the operation. You can't keep her out…can you?" I asked my irritation turning to empathy. He once more stays quiet, I answer without a second of hesitation.

"Do the others know?" He looks up,

"No." I start to feel panic; I was the only one who knew this. He fed Arthur a lie; he fed him a big lie.

"You have to warn them if it's getting worse-" He smiles sadly,

"I didn't say it's getting worse. Look, Ariadne, I need them for this job. I need you for this job. Without your help, I'll never get back to my children. And that's all I can care about right now." I look at him with sorrow, and then nod.

"Why can't you go home, Cobb?"

"They think I killed her." My hand goes to my mouth, Cobb; just by looking at him was suffering. I didn't need to know him for my whole life to know he was in pain, I didn't need his life story, I knew he was suffering. It's that simple.

"How did she die?" I ask, not even pardoning how rude the question was. Since I had been raised by my grandparents, I knew all about manners and such, but I had never been like what they wanted me to be. Cobb gets a thoughtful expression on his face, then his eyes get a solemn look in them, and he looks downcast. "Thank you." He says, rather then answering my question. I looked at him quizzically,

"For what?" His expression is unreadable,

"Not asking whether I did." He left me, without saying goodnight. I watched after him, poor Cobb. His heart had been missing for Mal, but she was gone. I walked to the stairs and down them, and entered the busy city street. I shared a dorm with two preppy other girls who went for designing. I'd seen some of the things they could do, pretty amazing. I walked down the street, my boots clicking against the pavement. As I was almost to the bridge I cross to the college dormitories, I pass the neon sign flashing in one of Paris's classic pubs. It's a small bar, with smooth counter tops. My intuition tells me something isn't right about it. I walk closer to the door, and a shout fills my ears. "Je vous jure que vous dire que une fois de plus, il sera votre tète!" I had been learning French since I was five, but I didn't need to understand French to know whose voice that was. I rushed into the pub,

"Arthur!" He looked at me with his drunken glazed over eyes. "What happened to you?" He smiled drunkenly at me, then laughed and slipped his arm around me, I grew uncomfortable around him. "Get off of me!" I shouted, what happened to the intelligence that had once lurked in his eyes? I started to feel my heart pound heavily, "Arthur…why?"

"Because I'm a broken man." His voice was slurred,

"How many have you had?" I asked, panic rising in my chest.

"I don't know I lost count, when you walked in." He smiled slyly; I grabbed his arm and pulled.

"We're leaving, and you better come to some sense before I smack you." I muttered in his ear. Then I started off at a brisk walk, Arthur stumbling behind me trying to catch up.

"What's the matter? I know you want me, come on, say it." He sang, I rolled my eyes, and then continued to walk. I reached the Saint Lorès hotel.

"Your so lucky, I just saved your ass from getting arrested." I snapped, then went up to the reception desk, and spoke in French:

"One room please." The receptionist regarded Arthur, with a small curt nod. She handed me a room key, I dragged him up the steps, I opened the room door then pulled him into the room. "You sleep here tonight or I swear, Arthur Kane, I'll tell Cobb. You understand me?" He looked at me with a look of judgment then nodded slowly. He walked over to the bed, and then toppled onto it. I rolled my eyes, and then closed the door behind me. I looked at my phone clock it read three AM. I had never been out in Paris this late before. I heard prostitutes were on every corner, so this should be an interesting walk home. I reached the bridge and crossed it, the dark water making me feel a bit unnerved. I reached the college dormitories, all dark except for the library which stayed open all night. I walked in and rode the elevator to my floor. I opened the door with my key, and saw Consta with her phone out. "It's three-thirty." She whispered.

"I met with a friend." She raised an eyebrow in the dim phone light, and then rolled over on her bunk. I stripped into my sweatpants and old Alpha Delta T-shirt, I got kicked out of the Sorority when I got a B on a final. Then threw back my covers and jumped into bed. I tried to go to sleep, but Arthur was on my mind. Why had he been drinking, maybe it was wrong of me to just assume he wasn't a drunk? But I had a feeling this was a first for him, I wasn't the best at reading people but Arthur wasn't a person to me. He was the other half to me…

I woke up with a start and looked at the time; I had a Linear Algebra class in fifteen minutes. I ran to our small closet in the dorm and grabbed the first things I could grab, and then whipped them on. I ran out the door, almost forgetting to lock it. I reached the classroom two minutes early, and slunk into a seat next to Roberto Alsk. He was a very quiet boy, but had a charming face. I smiled at him, and he gave a small smile back. Professor Algaia was a sharp faced woman, and had a thin lipped smile when she walked in. She slammed her heavy textbooks on her desk. I rolled my eyes and looked around the oval shaped classroom, almost all the classrooms here like a tiny theater with windows, the grey morning was like a depressing day already.

"Bonjour la classe." Said Professor Algaia, her lips tighter then usual today.

"Bonjour Professeur." We said indignantly, our groans coming together. After all it was seven in the morning.

"Avez-vous terminè le document de quinze pages sur ce que vous pensez algèbra est, et ce que cela signifie pour le monde scientifique?"

"Oui Professeur." We said, she gestured for us to pass them in. I listened intently to every word Professor Algaia said; her words of algebra were interesting. Math was another subject I was so fluent at. When the bell rung I headed over to Miles class. It was my favorite class of the week, I loved to see Miles it brought me much joy. It was noon now, and as I walked in Miles gave me a surprised stare.

"My dear, why are you still here? You're supposed to be with Mr. Cobb."

"Well I'm in college Miles, I lose a few days of classes, I lose a few days of my life."

"Ariadne now listen to me, I'll talk to the other teachers. Your one of our best students here, if anything the best. I want you to go work with Dominic, if I hear one, but, from you I'm going to beat you like I do with my dog, understand?"

"Yes sir, but isn't that a little rough on your dog?"

"I suppose, but my dog is a guard dog and bites people simultaneously." I laughed,

"Alright thank you, Miles. I'll be back in a few days." I smiled and waved and walked out of the college doors, and smiled to myself. This could be fun, I might actually make it somewhere in my career by helping out Cobb. Maybe I could help bring dreaming to a whole other level, to the public. That would be amazing if I could. But I was only twenty-five; I'd better not get too carried away.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys for those who reviewed, I just want to say THANK YOU! I'm glad most of you liked the last chapter, I was a little unsure if it was iffy of not, but most of you replied back on it with positive comments. Ok so in this chapter it's back to Arthur. Here we go**** -F.H**

I sat staring out the window of the Saint Lorès, my head is aching like a hammer is beating against my skull. Trying to remember what had happened was harder then I thought. I remember going to the first pub I could find Dontora's memory dwelling on my head like a dancer full of beauty. Then draining a shot of vodka, soon I swallowed another one. I was so dumbstruck by myself, I had never gotten drunk. Ever. It was just something I didn't do, I was a good man. I never drank, I was a good friend, I had never done anything illegal…for the most part, I had gotten a speeding ticket once, and that was about it. All I could gather from my drunken haze was Ariadne's pained stare at me, I wished I could rewind and had never drunken that shot of vodka. I got up and straightened my tie and vest. Well at least I looked better then I felt. I walked down to the receptionist and slid my credit card to her. Her thick outlined eyes moved to mine and she snapped a smile at me,

"Ici, vous allex monsieur, passez une bonne journèe." I nodded and grabbed my credit card from her, then slipped out into the dark morning. I crossed the street, the city already still alive. Lights glimmering from the office buildings, a paperboy riding down to the suburban houses onto Fluer Delane. I watched in dismay as a grey overcast sky broke over the clear blue morning. I hated overcastted days they held so much pain and loss for me. I walked past the sleeping businesses, and the book shop. Soon enough I reached the workshop, I walked up the stairs to the main floor. I found Dominic had left a note saying he was out getting coffee. I sat down and got to work on resetting the dynamics of Ariadne's mazes. Soon enough the full grey light broke through the darkened sky, I heard Dominic walk in. I saw Eames Sulfer, Saito Ino, Yusuf Gorger, and Dominic. I smiled and held out my hand to all of them.

"Eames, Saito, Yusuf, Dominic can I speak to you personally?" He looked at me with his steely dark eyes, and then gave a nod. He followed me out onto the terrace. "I got drunk last night… I don't know what happened. Dontora was on my mind…" Dominic got a look of sympathy on his face, and then patted my shoulder.

"What triggered her memory, may I ask?"

"I…I don't know… I wish I knew…"

"Arthur…" He trailed off, as Eames came out then looked out into the grey morning sky.

"Well you are a lovely lot aren't you? Just got all the crappy weather, you know in Mombassa were having seventy degree weather? Then unfortunately, I'm stuck with you two." He eyed us with distaste, but his eyes twinkled behind his act. "You know Arthur you've been working out…haven't you, you burly man!" He exclaimed in a sly voice, "You know I absolutely adore men with biceps. Mmm, feel those babies." He ran his hand along my arm.

"Eames, stop it or I swear to God, I will blow your brains out." He smiled cockily at me. Then walked back in through the doorway, I rolled my eyes.

"I just don't understand what it is about them, that make us so attracted to them, you know?" Dominic said, his face glaring down at the busy city.

"Me neither…but she caught my eye the second I saw her… She was like a key, and I was the door. You know?"

"Exactly…"

"They just… Ug, its horrible Dominic…"

"I know…" We stood out there until Eames gave me an annoying wolf whistle, and then beckoned to both of us.

"Come on sexy men, we got jobs to do. Let's get it done, sweet cheeks. Especially you Arthur." I rolled my eyes, it wasn't that Eames was actually gay, he just acted like it. It was his way of feeling in power, I suppose. I walked in and the gorgeous beauty of Ariadne stared at me. Her chocolaty brown eyes darting away from my gaze, I would do the same thing if I were her. I tried to sit next to her but she got fidgety, and turned away. Dominic got some files from his desk then sat down next to Ariadne. I became extremely jealous, what was he doing! "Eames, Saito, Yusuf, meet Ariadne." She nodded, and then held out her hand her face was turned away from mine. She was trying to ignore me. Dominic sat down then,

"Should we get started then." There was a tired grumble from everyone, and then Dominic opened the first file folder. "The mark is Robert Fischer, heir to the Australian energy conglomerate, Fischer Morrow." Dominic gets up then opens a large presentation pad, "An idea that Fischer's conscious would never accept. We have to plant it deep in his subconscious." I looked at Dominic,

"How deep?" I asked, my mind trying to figure out just how deep Fischer's subconscious would resist against the dream. I would think since the man is rich his subconscious are extremely militarized. Dominic answers my question,

"Three levels down." I looked at him with confusion, "A dream within a dream? Is that even possible?"

"Yes. It is." He got that look on his face, where he is just dieing to give an explanation. Then he opened his mouth and it came, "Now, the subconscious motivates through emotion, not reason, so we have to translate the idea into an emotional concept." Oh my God, Dominic, this is ridiculous,

"How do you translate a business strategy into a emotion?" My fury rising, as Ariadne looked at Dominic with impressed eyes.

"That's what we have to figure out. Robert and his father have a intense relationship. Worse, even, than the gossip columns have suggested." Dominic gets up and starts to write on the board, Eames interrupts,

"Do you play on that? Suggest breaking up his father's company as a 'screw you' to the old man?" Dominic looked terrified by his suggestion,

"No. Positive emotion trumps negative emotion every time. We yearn for people to be reconciled, for catharsis. We need _positive _emotional logic." Eames gets up and starts to pace, a befuddled look on his face. He manages to mumble out a sentence in his thinking,

"Try this…" He picks up the marker from the board, and then writes down on the glossy white surface. "My father accepts that I want to create for myself, not follow in his footsteps." Dominic reads it out loud to himself.

"That might work." I leap forward,

"Might? We'll have to do better then that." Eames sends me a glare,

"Thanks for the contribution, Arthur." I snarl up at him. I hate him, Ariadne looks from me to Eames. I want her to see that I can control myself, but it takes everything inside of me not to throw myself at him. Then strangle him to death, but I can't…not today, anyway. "Forgive me for wanting a little specificity, Eames." I yell at him.

"Inception's not about specificity. When we go inside his head were going to have to work with what we find." Eames smirks at me; I shrug my shoulders he's so going to pay. Dominic readies us for going into Ariadne's first maze. New York. Ariadne lies down on a lawn chair; I sulk and slip down onto my office chair, when everyone is ready. We slip under to the maze…

The New York streets are empty, and filled with an eerie quiet. But I feel like I'm in a deserted city that has been killed off some how. Apparently, I'm not the only one. Ariadne shivers at the sight of New York so deserted. I want to go to her, but I don't in fear of disturbing her. Dominic studies the city, and sadness leaks into his eyes. Mal and him had met in the city, it must bring back at lot of horrible memories. Eames clears his throat and all heads glance at him, "We could split the idea into emotional triggers, and use one on each level." Dominic showed curiosity, but also interest in his gaze.

"How do you mean?"

"On the top level we could open up his relationship with his father…Say: 'I will not follow in my father's footsteps.' Next level down we've accessed his ambition and self-esteem. We feed him: 'I will create something myself.' Then, the bottom level, we bring out the emotional big guns…" Eames left it open for discussion and Dominic answered,

"'My father doesn't want him to be like him.' " Eames gave a sly smile,

"That could do it."

"How do you form these emotional triggers?" I asked, doubting Eames ability. Trying to sound sophisticated in front of Ariadne.

"I forge an emotional concept in the style and manner of Peter Browning, a key figure in Fischer's emotional life." I forced an assenting nod, and then looked at two beautiful dark women walking towards us. Their expressions deadly, I turned to look at Dominic. He shrugged at me, I turn and look at Eames finally I've found something he did wrong,

"Are those yours?" He shakes his head with a smirk. I contort my body towards Yusuf, who stands quietly and awkwardly. "Yusuf?" I ask gently.

"Yup. Sorry." He speaks it very silently, almost fearfully. Dominic snaps at him meanly,

"Suppress them. We don't bring our projections into the dream-we let Fischer's subconscious supply the people." Eames ignoring the whole main point of Dominic's lecture, like always turns to Saito,

"Saito, when do I get to see Browning?" Saito thought for a second, then as if remembering a very important fact,

"You fly out to Sydney on Tuesday. We've arranged for you to spend several days there." Eames nodded, and then gave a dismissive nod.

"Well if we're done here, I suppose I'll see you all at the workshop." He pulled an AK47 out and pulled it to his head. Then gave a very quick brief smile at Ariadne but I could already see he liked her too. He shot himself, and soon the dream began to crumble. The great buildings that surrounded us started to fall and we were hit by the giant blocks that came. Shards of glass pierced Ariadne's head, and she fell to the ground. I looked away, I knew I would see her in a couple of minutes, but seeing her dead on the ground was a lot harder then one would think. I waited till my death came and woke with a start in my chair. Ariadne talking to Eames, Dominic still asleep, Saito and Yusuf as well, Ariadne's gaze quickly darted to me for a brief second. But she unleashed a wrath so large in the gaze that I was killed for a lifetime. I found myself gazing at her so intently; Eames made a joke about me as a stalker. I rolled my eyes, I hated him. I got up and pulled my briefcase open, I slipped out my silver cellular phone, and tapped Repardulo's contact. It rang three times and then he answered. We talked for a good time, and then he hung up.

I saw after that I had hung up that it was evening, only Ariadne and Dominic remained. How long had I talked? I collected my paperwork and put it all in my briefcase, as I was walking out the door Dominic stopped me.

"Show Ariadne the proper way to insert a tube, she said she couldn't hear the whole time we were in the dream earlier. Please."

"Sure…" I trailed off and saw her glare at me; Dominic left, his shoes clicking against the cement. Ariadne stared at me, her gaze so hate-filled, it was like looking into the fires of Hell. I walked to her, but she turned away. As soon as I heard the familiar engine of Dominic's car, I grabbed her by the shoulder and swirled her around to face me. She looked at me; her beautiful brown eyes were inlaid with anger. "I'm sorry… I don't know what I said, or what I did… But I can tell it was something pretty bad." She looked at me earnestly,

"You have know idea, Arthur you weren't you…you were a monster full of alcohol… My grandfather used to beat me every night for sixteen years, it happened when he was drunk. I waited for the daylight to end and for that excuse of a father of my father to come and attack. I was helpless, until one day I finally found a way out. A police officer came to my grandfather's house to inspect it; he had seen some of my grandfather's "clients" come out of his house, with a low glucose level. Which particularly meant that he was shooting a drug into their blood levels, I ran to this man. This man that I didn't know and I cried into his old leather jacket, and begged him to take me away from this-this monster… The police officer arrested my grandfather…I will never forget that hate-filled look he gave me as the officer took him away. A week later, I heard my grandfather had died. I felt no sympathy or empathy; there were people all around me crying… But what did I do, I spit on my grandfather's hard cold grave and walked away…" She finished, her eyes strung with tears. She furiously wiped them away; her tears made me want to fall to my knees in her mercy.

"Ariadne…The reason being for my behavior yesterday is well… I have never told anyone about this to anyone besides Dominic, but…My…" My eyes were blurred, I sniffed, "My thirties haven't been kind to me… You got what another five years? Well when I was around your age, I met a lovely young woman. She was beautiful, perfect green eyes, gorgeous flowing red hair, she was so perfect. So then I fell in love with her, we were together for five years…" My mind filled with many memories of happiness, "But…something struck us that we had no idea of what to do…a baby. A small little fruit of life was forming inside Sophia… I wasn't ready to be a father…but I loved Sophia so much, I was willing to give it a try… She-she was eight months pregnant when it came… Her first contraction, her yelp filled my ears, I ran to her and found her resting on our couch. She yelled to me, I lifted her up, and rushed her out to the car. We had to get to the hospital; I couldn't believe that it was finally happening…" Her pale damp sweaty face flashed into my vision, her dream like expression filled with happiness that had filled her eyes.

"I was going to be a father… You know I was so hoping it to be a boy. But when we got to the delivery room, our room was like any other white, pink trimming, and bland curtains. I wheeled her into the room; her stomach was dramatically kicking, I was touched by how in a few hours I would be a father… She went into labor quite well, but then something went horribly wrong… H-Her…" I wiped away a tear and swallowed, "As the baby was coming out her heart gave in to much… She died…" I broke down and tears streamed down my face, Sophia had screamed in pain and then just like that she was gone. Within a second her life gone, Ariadne had tears in her own eyes. She wrapped her arms around me,

"I'm so sorry." I nodded is dismissal, sympathy wasn't what I was looking for.

"But the baby came out perfectly healthy. It turned out we had a beautiful baby girl… She was perfect and had her mother's beautiful green eyes; her black curly hair was mine. But her beautiful pink lips matched the color of her grandmother's; she was absolutely perfect in every way possible. She smiled up at me and gurgled, I remember the paternal feeling that came to me when she wrapped her small finger around my thumb. She didn't even cry or whine, she giggled. I cried, when I saw her, for in the moment of tragedy I had found a perfect little angel. I cradled her in my arms, but the feeling of sadness still lurked in my blood. I gave her to the doctors, but as I let go her cry was a scream that pierced my heart. But I let her go. I looked at my wife, her beautiful blank green eyes still wide open… I had to look away, the doctors took her away. But you know what happened next? I felt the world slowing down around me… Nothing was right, a doctor was speaking to me, but his mouth was moving but no words were coming out… My end was coming, I knew. But one thing stopped me. A small bundle he held out to me. His eyes full of sorrow and remorse. A small baby smiled up at me, her sparkling green eyes full of question and speculation. I tickled her rosy cheek and her laugh echoed and brought me back to reality. And for a moment I was alive, I actually had a pulse. This little girl brought my whole world to me… Sophia's favorite author was a doctor named, Stephen Dontora. A Belgium doctor and his theories of life and life after people. Sophia was in love with the guy, but his last name had always struck me as a feminine kind of name. So I named her Dontora, her mother would have loved her. She was so…so perfect." I paused and looked at Ariadne, my tears were still coming down thickly. She knew there was more.

"She was five… Still so young but full of questions. Her questions were something like, "What color is the sun when it's night? Or, Daddy these roots of the plant, how do they plant themselves inside the plant…?" She had the same questionable look as her mother, when she wanted to know something, but five years is a curse when you're me. Dontora was at a friend's house off her first year in kindergarten, had a summer birthday, so she was still very young. But that day had been a blur; I went to her friend's house to pick her up. But the girl's parents lay on the floor bleeding as well as the small body of their daughter. I ran up the stairs dread was attacking my heart, and then I saw her, she was fine. But she was in danger. The killer had her with a gun to her head. I screamed, and pulled out my own gun, and…and shot… But the killer shot first..." The small body of Dontora rolling limply on the ground, and the killer ducking my bullet, leaping out of the window. My anguish cries as I hold the small body of the innocent intelligent body of the girl, who was my daughter. Who had kept me alive for so long… Her last question ringing in my ears… "Daddy what was Mama like?" She had known all along that her mother was gone; it was as if she knew, for such a young child… I let go of Ariadne and grabbed my briefcase, I was in no mood possible for her show sympathy. I quietly walked out of the workshop. I didn't return the next day…


End file.
